Chris Christie excludes local media from pre-State of the State address meeting

TRENTON — In a move that signals he has an eye on the White House, Gov. Chris Christie allowed only national media and barred New Jersey-based reporters from an off-the-record chat today ahead of his State of the State address.

The governor, who's mulling a national campaign, invited about a half dozen national reporters to a one-hour closed-door meeting ahead of his fifth State of the State address. The sit down included a 30-minute talk from Christie about what he planned to say in his remarks and a 30-minute question and answer session, according to one reporter included in the meeting.

National outlets invited to attend included The Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, ABC and NBC. New Jersey Advance Media and other New Jersey-based reporters, many of whom have offices on the second floor of the Statehouse, were not told about the meeting or given an explanation why they weren't able to attend.

Christie has limited taking questions from local media as he mulls a national campaign. He hasn't held a Statehouse news conference since September and has limited the number of questions he takes from local press at his public appearances since then that included time for questions.

Asked after his State of the State address whether the decision to speak exclusively with national reporters was a sign he's putting more attention on exposing himself to a national audience, Christie responded: "No."

"You guys get plenty of time with me," he said. "Don't worry about it."

But local media's time with Christie has been significantly curtailed in recent months. The last question and answer sessions with reporters after the September Statehouse news conference were in Camden on Sept. 24 and Trenton on Oct. 9. He limited the number of questions reporters were permitted to ask at both events.

Other public appearances with the governor included either no press conferences or the opportunity to ask the governor only a question or two, including a limited availability during the governor's two-day trip to Canada or catching Christie in the hallway of the hotel in Florida where GOP officials gathered in November for a Republican Governors Association meeting.

But the governor hasn't shied away from his monthly Ask the Governor program on 101.5 FM or an hour-long interview he did with NJTV's Steve Adubato in December.

"It gives him the benefit of being able to say 'I haven't restricted my availability just because I didn't stick around for an hour (after a public event),'" Golden said. "It's a strategy. It gives him cover."

Golden says Christie, who he acknowledges is adept to "at dealing with the media and handling himself pretty well," has more control during the one-on-one interviews.

"He's much more in control in that environment," he said. "It allows the governor to very tightly control his message and it's not some type of free-wheeling thing where there are 20 reporters shouting questions at him."